$150 for a UGC video? Babe, we need to talk about your rates.

Last week I posted on Threads asking what everyone was charging for UGC, fully expecting normal answers. Some of them genuinely shocked me. Creators out here charging $150 for one UGC video. One. Hundred. And fifty. Dollars. For a full video concept, filming, editing, the works — that a brand can then run as a paid ad and make thousands off of.

I had to put my phone down (I threw it across the room)

And first — if you’re here from Threads, hi. Come in, sit down. I did not realize how engaged that community was until this week, and I’m genuinely so happy you found me here. There are so many of you with so many good questions, and I want to actually answer them properly. So consider this the long in depth version.

The problem with SO many creators is that you’ve never been taught how to negotiate. Nobody teaches this because, unfortunately, this industry is full of gatekeeping. So today we’re fixing that. We’re talking about how to raise your rates, how to hold your negotiating power, how to figure out what your number even is, and how to stop leaving thousands of dollars on the table because you were too scared to negotiate.

This is the single most-asked question in my inbox: how do I avoid being the one who says a number?

It’s just the most important habit you can build. The rule, the one they teach in actual sales training, is this: whoever says the number first loses. (Yes, there are always exceptions, and nothing is definitive)

Here’s why it you never wanna blurt out a number — I want you to understand the WHY, because you need to comprehend this during negotiation and I’m a nerd who loves to go deep, especially when it comes to money and psychology.

When you say a number first, one of two things happens. Either you go too high and you scare them off or get screened out before negotiation even starts — or, way more common, you go too low and you’ve just capped yourself. You said $300. They had $800 sitting in the budget for this. They are not going to correct you. They’re going to say “perfect!” and keep the other $500 to reallocate to another creator.

The deeper issue is information. The brand almost always knows something you don’t: they have a budget. A number their CFO (chief financial officer) approved, a range they’re working inside. You’re walking into the conversation blind, guessing — which is hard to win from.

The phrase brands love to open with is some version of: “What are your rates?”

Most creators fold instantly because they just want to seem easy to work with. Don’t fold. Redirect!!

Here’s the line I use:

“I’d love to put together a quote for you! My rates fluctuate depending on the SOW. Are you able to share the deliverables, usage, and the budget you’re working with for this campaign?”

Notice what this does: it keeps the conversation warm. You’re not refusing to talk money — you’re getting the full scope of work. Big difference. You come across as someone who’s done this before, which, side note, is half of negotiation. Confidence reads as experience, and experience reads as “worth paying.”

You ask the budget question, then do not rush to overcompensate and say “but I’m flexible!” or “it can be whatever works for you!” This is a technique used in salary negotiations to make the other side bump their offer without you saying a word. It works because most people cannot tolerate an awkward silence (this works SO much better on a call) and will start sweetening the deal just to end it.

So: redirect, ask for their budget, and then shut the f*$k up!!

The redirect works until the brand pushes back. And they will. “We don’t have a set budget, what are your rates.” I don’t want you to panic and undershoot by hundreds of dollars.

Here’s what were going to chat about:

• What to say when a brand forces you to name a number first — all things price anchoring.

• The full menu of upsells that takes a $300 video to $1,000 — for zero extra work on your end.

• The exact entry package I send when a brand won’t give me scope, engineered to upsell in the same breath.

• The bundling trick I used when negotiating for creators with +2M followers, so you keep all your leverage.

• How to flip gifted collabs into paid ones — the word-for-word -script

• The mindset shift that gets you to stop apologizing/minimizing for your rates.

This is the stuff that actually scales for business. I would much rather do one video for $1,000 than ten videos for $100 because you can scale 10x as quickly!! so grab your pen and paper and take some notes.